Thursday, April 03, 2008

April Happenings

April is finally here and with it comes many lovely, creative opportunities and events (not to mention the general fabulousness of spring)! I hope to see you at my art show and hear from you in the form of your art and/or writing.

peace and green sprouting things,Courtney

Thursday, April 10, 6-9pmNext week, I host my Spring Art Show here at Rising Bird Healing Arts (my home business in the Roosevelt District). The multi-talented Kara Jones will be offering henna body art to decorate your hands or feet!

I'll be showing my mixed media originals and we'll both be selling cards and prints of our work. For more information about the show (and the artists), click here.

Art Prompt: “Inner Critic”Create a visual depiction of your inner critic. Using the art method of your choice (painting, collaging, drawing, sculpting, etc.), give your inner critic a form. Does your critic look like a human being? An animal? A pattern of some kind? When I did this exercise in my college days, my inner critic looked like a stern baseball coach. In my crayon drawing, he was blowing a whistle and pointing at me. It was freeing to see this voice of criticism in visual form; in many ways my critic lost much of its power because I “unveiled” him. I wonder what form my critic takes today. What about you?

Writing Prompt: “Dreaming Big!”It’s time to dream big dreams. Let’s bypass those teeny-tiny wishes for now and dig up some of those Big Kahuna desires--the ones that you’ve been keeping in the back of the pantry next to the cream of broccoli soup. Dreaming big helps expand your mind, enabling you to see yourself as the marvelous, ingenious person that you are. Imagine there are no obstacles to your desires; imagine that you are free to actualize whatever it is you wish. Now freewrite for at least fifteen minutes without stopping. Let your pen move across the page with wild abandon. After your fifteen minutes are up, scan your writing looking for important key words that surfaced for you in your process. Circle these important words and re-write them on a fresh piece of paper. Feel free to post these words in your bathroom mirror or at your desk as a reminder of your deep down hopes and dreams.

Writing Prompt: The History of a ScarWe all have scars. Well, I think most of us do anyhow. Choose one of the scars on your body, whether this mark on your skin is wide and deep or microscopic in size, and write its history. Start with how the scar came to be. Recall the moment when you received this mark on your body. Record not only how you physically felt, but also what emotions or thoughts came with the experience. Remember to write down your sensory experience, too -- sight, sound, smell, taste, touch.

Now, document the life of this scar. How has it changed over time? Has it faded? Stayed the same? Are there emotions still hiding in the creases of your skin or in the depths of your heart?

Submission guidelines: Submit your art in .jpg format via attachment or as a link to your blog or Flickr account. Submit writing in the body of an email or as an attached Word document. Email submissions to cputnam@rising-bird.com and write "Spring Newsletter Submission" in the subject line. Thanks!